Liberal Democrats are making the case for a different road in Gaza

 

What horrific images we have seen unfold on our TV screens these past few weeks. The shocking terrorist attacks by Hamas. The bombing of so much of Gaza. The innocent Palestinians left without even food or water including premature babies dead or on the brink of dying. Families mourning loved ones, or fearing for those being held hostage.

In the face of this dire situation, Liberal Democrats are making the case for a different way.

We are clear that Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in charge of Gaza. We are concerned that a military solution to eliminate them will not work. And we believe that, with this humanitarian disaster, with over 200 still being held hostage by Hamas, and with the risk of escalation across the region, now is the time to try a new approach.

We’re calling on the UK Government to back an immediate bilateral ceasefire, to achieve a political solution.

As Ed Davey has set out, a ceasefire cannot be about freezing the conflict, leaving Hamas in charge of Gaza. That’s unacceptable. It must be contingent upon both parties. And it cannot be the end goal - that must always be two states and a lasting peace.

Ed and I have met countless individuals over the past few weeks - diplomats, faith leaders, organisations working to support community cohesion, families of those being held hostage and countless others.

At every meeting we have attended, it has been clear to us both that the UK simply cannot allow this situation to return to the status quo ante. We simply cannot risk going through all this again.

So we choose to centre a two-state solution. Because only a lasting peace can deliver the security which both Palestinians and Israelis deserve. So that Palestinian and Israeli children can grow up free of this awful cycle of violence and tragedy. And that is what Liberal Democrats will keep advocating for, in the House of Commons and across the UK.

Workplace harassment: Wera Hobhouse's Bill makes progress

 The Liberal Democrat MP for Bath writes:

Over the past few months there has been a steady stream of news stories about harassment in workplaces across the UK, from the NHS and regulatory bodies to large corporations. Yet many incidences of harassment still go unreported and with no action taken to redress the perpetrators. Research by the House of Commons suggests 40 percent of women and 18 percent of men in the UK have experienced some form of workplace harassment. We Liberal Democrats have continually campaigned hard to protect women and girls. In 2018, as a new MP, I campaigned to make upskirting a crime. My Private Member’s Bill on this issue was taken on by the Government as the Voyeurism (Offences) (No.2) Bill in 2019. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I are determined to keep working hard to prevent women from being harassed, wherever they are. Today I wanted to update you about the passing of my Private Members Bill on workplace sexual harassment, which is a key part of our work fighting for more equitable work spaces. The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment, instead of putting the onus on individual employees to report incidents. The Bill makes employers liable to their employees if they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent harassment. This amendment will address deficiencies in the Equality Act 2010 identified by the EHRC, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee, and the Fawcett Society. In 2018 the EHRC found that only a minority of employers had effective processes to prevent and address sexual harassment. What does this change to the law mean? Currently, the law places the onus on an individual to report an incident of harassment to her superiors. This means, in practice, that women do not report harassment because they are embarrassed about ‘making a fuss’ or worried that it will impact their career prospects. That is why a 2018 TUC report estimated that as many as 79% of women have not reported incidents of workplace harassment. My Bill looks to change the culture of workplaces to prevent harassment before it happens. It sends a clear signal that such behaviour is unacceptable, and should bring about a long-term change in attitudes toward harassment. I am proud to have worked alongside brilliant organisations such as the Fawcett Society and the wider Alliance for Women, as well as the Minister for Women and Baroness Burt, to help make this Bill a reality. See my speech in Parliament on the Bill here:

Watch  ➜ Wera Hobhouse MP (she/her) Liberal Democrats

Gaza: a message from our party leader

 

I was horrified to wake up on 7th October to the awful terrorist attacks in Israel, which we have condemned unequivocally. I have been heartbroken and dismayed to see the scenes of violence in Israel and Palestine over the past two and a half weeks. It is hard to watch the news right now. We continue to hear reports of the brutal terrorism of Hamas, which still holds more than 200 Israelis hostage in Gaza. And now we have a situation in Gaza which is frankly devastating. The 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip, over half of whom are children, are hurtling towards a humanitarian catastrophe. It is horrifying. Liberal Democrats are clear: it is vital that essential supplies like food, water and medicine get to innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, in line with international law. It is also of the utmost importance that the hostages - among whose number includes children as young as nine months old - are immediately and unconditionally released. We support Israel’s right to protect its citizens and target these brutal terrorists Hamas, in line with international law. We are clear that innocent Palestinians must not pay the price for the atrocities of Hamas. And we affirm that the world has a duty to prevent needless civilian deaths. That’s why, over the weekend, we declared our support for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire, in order to bring about a pause in hostilities. We need the space for an intense period of diplomacy, to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to provide an opportunity to realise the release of the hostages. In the House of Commons earlier this week, I asked the Prime Minister to support our call. You can watch my question here:

Watch now  ➜

We were not alone when we called for a humanitarian ceasefire. Others, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, had already done so. And in the days since, there has been some movement within the international community and within the UK. Both the Government and the Labour Party now call for what they term a ‘humanitarian pause’. But there is further to go. We are clear that the people of Israel and Palestine have a right to live free from fear. The thing that will ultimately give them the security which they deserve - the security which will prevent the sort of scenes which we have seen over the past days - is to finally bring about the two state solution, and a lasting peace. Liberal Democrats are the party of internationalism and international law. We have long advocated for a two state solution, and we will continue to do so. Ed Davey MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats (he/him)

Council By-Election Quarterly Review (July to September 2023)

The Lib Dems are having a remarkable year in council by-elections! This report rounds up our performance between July and September. Once again we were first in terms of net gains and share of the vote increases.  Overall 51 council seats were contested. We made 8 gains and successfully defended 5 wards - while only losing 1 ward during this period (to an independent candidate - we didn't suffer a single loss to another political party). This gave us a net result of 7 more Lib Dem councillors. This is comfortably the best performance of any party (the Conservatives, Labour and Nationalist parties all went backwards). Our gains came from the Conservatives (5), Labour (2) and 1 from the Vectis Party in the Isle of Wight.

National electoral performance since "Brexit" general election

 

National by-election performance

 

Protest against bus cuts

 

The revised parliamentary boundaries have been ratified by Westminster. Rhos will be in the expanded Brecon constituency at the next general election.

In the meantime, bus travellers have complaints against Westminster, the Welsh Labour/Plaid government and the Neath Port Talbot county borough council over cuts to bus subsidies and therefore reduced services. So Neath party members are encouraged to join this leaflet distribution.

End puppy smuggling

 

Andrew George, former MP for St Ives, writes:

Conservative MPs voted against a bill to combat puppy smuggling and live farm animal exports again .

Labour, with Liberal Democrat support attempted to reintroduce animal welfare legislation which had been dropped by the Cons, in contradiction to their manifesto promise.

The RSPCA’s head of public affairs, David Bowles, said: “It’s terrible news for animals and we are calling on the UK government to rethink and bring back all the proposals contained within the binned bill back by other means. We cannot go on allowing cruel practices such as the live exports of animals for slaughter and the puppy import trade.”

We won't give up and will find other ways of passing laws to give animals the protection they need and deserve.

I hope you support too

Neath Port Talbot cabinet post for local Liberal Democrat

 The council includes the following in the media release which followed Wednesday's AGM:

the council’s Liberal Democrat and Green Group, led by Coedffranc West member Cllr Helen Ceri Clarke, became full members of the Rainbow Coalition having previously supported it on a confidence and supply basis.

Cllr Hunt said after the AGM: “I am humbled to have been given the leadership of the council for 2023/24 and our Rainbow Coalition welcomes the Liberal Democrat and Green Group as full members.

Cllr Cen Phillips takes over in the Cabinet from [Dyffryn Independent] Cllr Peters with a new title of Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing while existing Cabinet Member [Independent] Cllr Jeremy Hurley adopts the new title of Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Economic Growth.

Our Carer’s Leave Bill has just passed its final stage in Parliament

The Bill will give an estimated 2.4 million carers across the UK a statutory right to take five days of unpaid leave per year, helping carers to better balance work and care. Introduced by Wendy Chamberlain MP, and steered through the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Fox, the Carer’s Leave Bill has been described by the charity Carers UK as a ‘landmark’ piece of legislation. This is a fantastic step forward in our continued campaigning to stand up for the rights of carers.

“Unpaid carers are the backbone of our society. Yet far too many go without adequate support and struggle to balance caring responsibilities and work. My Carer’s Leave Bill is a first step to providing greater support. It will allow carers to take time off work to manage caring responsibilities. I hope that it will provide many people with the flexibility they need. I am also confident that the law will have benefits for employers too. Many businesses already provide a version of Carer’s Leave to their staff and report reduced recruitment costs, and improved retention and wellbeing.” - Wendy Chamberlain MP “I have had the privilege to hear first-hand from unpaid carers what a difference this Bill will make. I am proud to support it and hope that it will help millions of unpaid carers better balance work and care.” - Lord Fox You can join our campaign to Stand up for Carers by adding your name below. I'll Stand up for Carers  ➜ With best wishes, Liberal Democrats

Ed Davey: the man behind the politician

 An interview by Zoe Williams, published in the Guardian, reveals the personal side of Ed Davey. The article details the many trials and tribulations Ed and his wife Emily have had to overcome in their political careers. There are political insights:

They have a good ground game, the Lib Dems, and they’re scrappy: even accounting for the way all parties manage expectations before local elections, they sailed way over their targets. “Our central scenario was about 250 [councillors] in five councils; we ended up with over 400 in 12 councils. So we’re pretty happy,” he says. They made 704 gains in the 2019 local elections, so this is shaping up into a solid recovery after the party’s post-coalition doldrums. “Because the next election is all about getting rid of the Tories …” he begins, and maybe I smirk a bit because he stops – he’s the last man standing of the Lib Dems who served in the coalition cabinet, so fierce anti-Tory rhetoric is still faintly incongruent – “… that is exactly my mission.” Will this party ever enable another Conservative government? “This is really important: we will not put the Conservatives back into government or do any deal with them. What. So. Ever. Personally, I’ve fought them all my life: I fought them in government, I’m fighting them now. They’re beyond the pale, as far as I’m concerned.”

Of his time in government, working with Conservatives:

“I didn’t trust them an inch. I didn’t trust George Osborne an inch. We didn’t tell people how much we were fighting the Tories, that was by design, from Nick [Clegg]. He wanted to show that coalitions work. I argued that we should show the bit of the Liberals that’s anti-establishment, that’s reformist, that’s internationalist. But he was the leader. We served at his pleasure.”

He names a few big wins over the Conservatives from those years: the Liberal Democrats successfully locked in the government’s offshore wind contracts, so Osborne couldn’t rescind them after 2015, as he tried to; they stopped the Tories freezing benefits when inflation was running at 5%. “I believe in our environmental stuff, I believe in our political reform, I believe in our internationalism, I believe in civil liberties, I believe in our support for public services, I believe we’re caring, that’s who we are. And we weren’t showing it enough. We’re not going to make that mistake twice.”

England local council elections: an incredible set of results

Over 1000 councillors elected, major gains and 20% of the national vote - our highest vote share in a decade.

GAINED control of 12 Councils Including: Chichester, Dacorum, Guildford, Horsham, Mid Devon, South Hams, South Oxfordshire, Stratford on Avon, Surrey Heath, Teignbridge, West Berkshire & Windsor and Maidenhead HELD control of 15 Councils Including: Bath & North East Somerset, Chelmsford, Cotswold, Eastbourne, Eastleigh, Hinckley & Bosworth, Kingston upon Hull, Mole Valley, North Devon, North Norfolk, Oadby & Wigston, St Albans, Three Rivers, Vale of White Horse, Watford, Winchester & Woking GAINED over 400 Councillors We’ve increased our councillor numbers in countless areas, including: East Riding of Yorkshire (+14), Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (+13), East Devon (+10), Wealden (+9), East Suffolk (+8), Rutland (+8), Tewkesbury (+8), Central Bedfordshire (+7), Lewes (+7), Bracknell Forest (+6), Elmbridge (+6), Herefordshire (+6), Hertsmere (+6), Liverpool (+6), Maldon (+6), Welwyn Hatfield (+6), West Lindsey (+6), Test Valley (+5), Wealdon (+5), East Hertfordshire (+4), Newcastle upon Tyne (+4), Torridge (+4), Blaby (+3), Brentwood (+3), Rochford (+3), South Gloucestershire (+3), North Hertfordshire (+3), Luton (+3), Slough (+3), South Gloucestershire (+3), Torbay (+3) & Wokingham (+3) Among our gained councils is Surrey Heath, where we have taken control from the Conservatives in Michael Gove’s back garden. Senior Conservative cabinet ministers will now be looking nervously over their shoulders. Another key target where we have done well is Elmbridge, which contains Dominic Raab’s Esher and Walton seat. We have gained 6 councillors here, taking 4 from the Conservatives, and are now the largest party. It’s clear that sleaze and scandal surrounding Conservative Ministers over recent months has had a profound impact. Nadhim Zahawi is experiencing a Shakespearean Tragedy in Stratford on Avon as his seat is now controlled by the Lib Dems after we gained 15 seats and took control. Just a few weeks ago we launched the English Local Election campaign in Dacorum in Hertfordshire, where Ed Davey foreshadowed today’s results by toppling a Blue Wall of hay bales in a tractor. This May we took control of the council here - the first time Liberal Democrats have run the council since its creation. Following our stunning victory in Tiverton & Honiton last year, we’ve had a great result in Devon in these elections. We gained Mid Devon and Teignbridge, held North Devon, and made a total of 52 gains across the county. After we made gains in Hull overnight to keep control of the council, we’ve also won seats from Labour in Liverpool - gaining 6 seats from Labour as they lost 9.

Council gains in England "way above expectation"

 The Guardian reports:

Ed Davey has hailed what he called “ground-breaking results” for the Liberal Democrats in local elections, as party activists predicted they were on track to oust large number of Conservative MPs in so-called “blue wall” seats.

In early results, the Lib Dems defeated the Conservatives to win control of Windsor and Maidenhead council, Theresa May’s home territory.

Across England the party had gained nearly 60 seats, with the bulk of the Lib Dems’ target areas still to count, and maintained control of seven other councils.

“These are groundbreaking results for the Liberal Democrats, far exceeding the expectations,” Davey, the Lib Dem leader, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We’ve been beating Conservatives, and I think it’s going to get worse.”

Lib Dem campaigners had anticipated a reasonable number of gains before the vote, but emphasised the context that the last time these seats were contested, in 2019, the party won more than 700 councillors against the Conservatives under Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.

On Friday morning, Lib Dem officials said the party had performed “way above expectations” and seemed set to win a swathe of seats and councils in blue wall seats, mainly affluent, commuter belt areas where the Conservatives have traditionally dominated.

See also Mark Pack's rolling news.

Flying start to 2023

 [Data from ALDC}

In total 38 principal council by-elections were contested in the first quarter of 2023. The Lib Dems are net up by 5 seats, while the Conservatives are down by 9 councillors.